Improvement in thrashing-machines



PATBNTED AUG. 22, 1865.

'13. H. KEBNBR. THRESHING MACHINE.

UNITED STATES PATENTv OFFICE.

BENJAMIN H. KEPNER, OF NORA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORLTOHIMSELF AND l ABRAM L. BRINKL IMPROVEMENT .iN TH Balsamo-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No.:49,533. dated August 1865.

To all whom 'it may concern.-

' Be'itknown that I, B. H. KEPNER, of N ora, inthe county of J o Daviess and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Con bined Grain-Thrasher and Straw-Separator and 'Clover Thrasher,1 Huller, and Seed Sep- 'arator; and I do hereby declare lthat the following is a full and exact description there-` of, deference being had to the accompanying Indrawings, forming part of this specification, in

which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of that portion o fline a: Fig. 3 5 Fig. 3, a horizontal section ofthe same in the plane of line yy, Fig'. 2.

Likeletters of reference indicate corresponding'parts in all the gures.

My invention consists in such a combination and arrangementof the different parts of a ina- `chineas enables it lto be used for thrashing grain and separating the straw therefrom, and l which, by a simple change of parts, is also capable of being easily converted into a clover thrasher, huller, and seed separator when desired, as hereinafter described.

To adapt my improvement to the various uses for which it is designed, I construct it of the'following separate and detachable parts,'

'as represented in the drawings, viz: Part 1, which consists ofthe cylinder and concave bed A B, fan C, and seed-box D, together with the necessary auxiliary parts and framev for supporting the same Part 2, which consists of the ordinary top or covering for the cylinder,

and=inclined feed-hoard to be attached to Part l when it is desired to use the machine for Ithrashing; Part 3, the straw-separator, Fig. 1, attached to Part 2; Part 4, the devicefor im,- parting the necessary shaking motion to the straw-separator; Part 5, consisting of the peculiarinclinefeed-board,hel'einafterdesoribed, and coveringcase, which is adjusted to Part 1 when used as a clover-huller; andPart 6, the

yseed-separator, which, with the Parts 1 and 5,

forms the clover-holler and seedseparator.

In Part 1, as represented, a a' is a suitable frame or platform, of any desired construction, for supporting the machine, upon which `rest vided atene end of its axis c witha pulley, d, l

Fig. 1, and b'elte, Fig. 3, ,connecting it with l the pulley M'on the cylinder-axis, by which the necessary motion is'i'm' parted to it, andl having at the other end the diskf, to which is attached the pitman g, that 'operates the shoe of seed-separator 6. The' axis of this fan has its bearings in the platform -frame a, while the fan is inclosed in the necessary fan-case E, secured to the same frame. The -fan C is only required and used with the seedseparator.` `In `other cases, the belt 'e heilig removed the fan i remains at rest.

andware two cross-pieces, to which is secured part of'device 4, as will presently be de-` scribed. *y

D is a suitable box or receptacle for receiving the seed after it has been cleaned by passl ing through separator 6.

Part 2 may be constructed as the top-or coviering for the cylinder, with the feed-board of any ordinary thrashing-machine, the side boards,j, having at their bottom a crosspiecc,` k, connecting them, and upright pieces secured to the same andthe side boards. In the lower edge of these boards slots lare cut, `as repre-` sented in dotted lilies in Fig. 1. l

When it is desired to attach Part 2 to 1 it is so. placed upon the latter that the cross piece lc will rest on the jog or shoulders b' of standards b, the` sidesj passing inside of the' frames or standards b' and between the same and the ends of 'the cylinder A, the slot l in the boards enabling them to pass the axis m of the cylinder, and the rear ends ofthe boards j resting on the upright boards n, whose lower ends are mortised or set in grooves in the platform-frame a, while their upper ends are pro-` vided with tenous which it in inortses o in` the lower, edges of the boards j, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

The straw-.separator 3, which is to'I heusedl l.

with Parts 1, 2,-and 4 in thrashinggrain, is

made with a perforatedbottom to Vallow the grain to pass through, and is suspended at its front from Part 2 by means of, straps F, as

represented, so as to allow it a longitudinal oscillatiug'moton, and is supported at its rear or tail end byV means of a standard, G, jointedl at g', and pointed at its Alower end so as to retain its position -ou the door or ground while the' separator is iu motion. At the rear', under the bottom, secured .in any suitable man- 11er` is the wooden spring-pitman H, which is attached at its opposite or front end to Part 4, as will presently be. described.

',lo the concave bed B is hinged, iu such a manner as to be easily detaehed,a chute oi inclined board, the rear edge of which rests on the bottom ot' the straw-separator, as shown inY dotted lines, Fig. 1. In the bottom of the straw-separator, on each side, are slots for the boards n, so that they will not interfere with 'its longitudinalmotiou.

Part 4 consistsof a `short horizontal shaft or axis, I, one of whose bearings is in or at tached to the piece J, which is bolted-or otherwisc fastened to the staudard'b of Part 1, and the other bearing being in the end of a horizontal longitudinal piece (shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1) which has` a tenon at its other or front end fitting in a mortise in cross-piece fi, and it is bolted to cross-piece It, as shown inv Fig. 2.' The outer endof the axis I is pro vided with a pulley, K, and belt L, which connects it with pulley M on the axis of the cylinder, from whence it'receives its motion. -The other endof this axis I, which extends transversely about half way across the machine, is provided with a short crauk,'the end of which lits and turns in a hole or bearing in the end of sprng-pitmau H, by which means the neel essary-longitudiual shaking or oscillating motio'n 'of the straw-separator is produced.

Part 5, which. is employed iu hulling the clover-seed, is constructed in some respects llike Part 2, but diiers from it in that it has the perpendicular board N and the feed-board or incline 0, provided with the guide-board q, placed obliquely, as represented in Fig. 3, so as to direct the clover as it is being fed into the machine to one end of the cylinder, as at r in the same ligure. It also has a board, c, placed transversely, so as to confine the clover as it is being hulled.- The rear end of part 5 rests on the corners of the seed-separator 6, and is secured thereto by means of a hook or other easilydetachable device.

Part 6-is designed to be used with Parts 1 and 5 .for cleaning the seed after it has been hulled. It. has a frame of the ordinary eon. struction of separators, the standards of the same having tenons at their lower ends which fit-in mortises in the frame a, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. At the top the separator is fastened to Part 5 by means of hooks t t.' (Shown in Fig. 3.)V This separator is provided with a shoe, P, of any suitable construction,` containing the necessary sieves u. u, and it is operated by the usual angle-iron, Q and pitmau g, Fig. 3.

S is a transverse inclined board `secured to the frame ofthe yseed-separaxor on the side of the machine-'opposite from that to which the boardv s is attached, and extends part way across the machine, so as to coniine the seed from its first entra-nce into the machine at r at one vend-of the cylinder, while it is being hulled, till it reaches the opposite end, where it is conducted by the inclined guide o to the chuteor incline Bof the shoe.

The manner in which the different parts of my improvement are combincdand used is as follows: Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4, as represented in Fig. 1, are arranged and used together for thrashing grain and separating the straw therefrom, the fan C being at rest, as before described. For thrashing clover, Parts 3 and 4, the ystraw-separator and device for operating the same are detached, and Partsl and 2 only used. To hull and clean the clover-seed after it has been thrashed, as above, Part 5 is substituted for Part 2-aud the seed-separator 6 attached, the fan now being employed by con necting its pulley d with pulley M ot' the cylinder by means of the belt e.

The irst .and most im portant advantage which my combination machine possesses is economy in the cost of the machines necessary for accomplishing the several results that are attained by the use'jof my improvement, as at least two separate and independent machines are usually required to perform the di'erent operations which mine alone accomplishes. Another advantage is convenience in using and the saving of the extra time which is re quired in the use of independent machines. A

third advantage is the thorough and perfect manner in which the clover-seed is hulled by being subjected to the `action of the cylinder during its gradual lpassage from one end of `the same to the other, being coniined therein by means of the two boards S and s.

What I'claim as my invention, and desire ily and economically adapted to either purpose,

said parts being arranged and operating substantially as set forth.

2. The combination and arrangement of the boards q and s, of the feed-board 0, and trans- `verse inclined board'S'with the cylinder A,

operating substantially as and for the purposes specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

B. H. KEPNER.

Witnesses:

J Essa WRIGHT, JUNIUs Recruits. 

